Best Food Writing: February 2009

National/International

Is Food the New Sex?
Mary Eberstadt — Policy Review
God I wish I had written this article. Anyone who even casually writes about food should aspire to this level of incisiveness. Even that august sage George F. Will was impressed. A must read.

Is Foie Gras Torture?
Sarah DiGregorio — The Village Voice
A reasonable and measured investigation of the production of foie gras. In the case it is certainly no worse, and possibly better, than most industrial meat and poultry production.

Rock Star, Meet Teetotaler
Sacha Z. Scoblic — The New York Times
Amazing the amount of high-quality "food" writing that comes out of The New York Times' Proof blog about alcohol and American life.

Houston Local

Depart From Me! I Never Knew You, Eaters of Bacon
Katharine Shilcutt — Eating...Our Words blog at Houstonpress.com
Why did Joel Osteen choose to preach about food? No, it's not about the Bible. Just read Is Food the New Sex? article above.

The Iceman Cometh and Eateth Hamburgers and Proclaimeth
Epicurus — Food In Houston blog
Nice post here about a food blogger getting back into the swing of things, including a multi-paragraph rant about portobello 'shrooms at a burger joint. Or were those creminis?

Sticking it to the French
Misha — tasty bits blog
Our friend Misha debunks the claim that French food is "all that" by proclaiming that the food at a humble Houston taco truck trumps the cuisine of a hauty French brasserie.

If you know of any sources of great food writing, post a comment and let me know. It can be national, international, or local. I'd really like to find individualistic food blogs that reflect the personality and experiences of the blog writer.

Best Food Writing: January 2009

National/International

Besotted — Etymologically, That Is
Iain Gately — The New York Times
The English language has the richest vocabulary to describe the effects of drunkenness on human behavior. I wonder why?

The Fab Four: off the top of our heads
Jon Wilde and Simon Lewis — Daily Mail
It's not "writing" per se — more of an interview really — but a rollicking and revelatory discussion with 3 of the world's best chefs.

I'm not pregnant. I'm fat
Lucy Cavendish — The Observer
A surprisingly personal and revealing account of a food writer's struggle with weight gain.

the perfect complement
Shannalee T'Koy — Food Loves Writing blog
Sometimes with food, as in life, the most important things and people are not the ones basking in the spotlight.

Houston Local

A few global food trends Part 1 and Part 2
anonymouseater — Food In Houston blog
A great use of personal travel experiences to explore global food trends related to sustainability and healthy diets.

An Intervention About Food with Myself
Food Princess — Food Princess Reports blog
An interesting parallel to the Lucy Cavendish piece listed above, both authors writing about the same subject with personal intensity, on virtually the same day, but oceans apart.

Houston's Own Artisanal Gelato
Katharine Shilcutt — Eating...Our Words blog
An in-depth look at why Houston has one of the most diverse culinary scenes in America — if you have the passion and ambition, Houston will supply the opportunity.

If you know of any sources of great food writing, post a comment and let me know. It can be national, international, or local. I'd really like to find individualistic food blogs that reflect the personality and experiences of the blog writer.

Best Food Writing: December 2008

National/International

Africa's hungry tribe: The Masai's struggle to subsist
Alex Renton — The Guardian Observer
Just a reminder that not all food writing is about amuse bouches and sea urchin foam. A must read.

Journeys - Le Tour du Chocolat
Amy Thomas — The New York Times
Talk about "painting a picture" with words. This is what vicarious food/travel writing is all about.

Corrigan's review
Giles Coren — Times Online
Reading a Giles Coren restaurant review is like going out with that one totally crazy friend you have. You're pretty much just along for the ride and you have no idea where things will end up.

Helene Darroze at the Connaught
Jay Rayner — The Guardian Observer
An otherwise run of the mill restaurant review, I liked this write-up for two reasons: 1) he used the word "oleaginous." Ooohhh...that's a good word. I had to look it up. It means ingratiating. It also means "oily." Oily waiters? Hahahaha!, and 2) He compares his experience in this Michelin-starred chef's restaurant to being leg-humped by a sex-starved dog. C'mon Jay, tell us how you really feel!

Houston Local

Oyster Moments Slideshow
Robb Walsh— robbwalsh.com website
Robb Walsh's new book, Sex, Death and Oysters, is out and it's all about our favorite edible shellfish. His website has a great photo album of his world travels in pursuit of everything oyster. Purchase a copy of the book on Amazon or head over to Brazos Bookstore.

Banquette Etiquette: 3 simple rules for close-quarters dining
Alison Cook — Cook's Tour blog
My closest experience to a religious experience with a food blog, mainly due to my exhortations of "Amen sister!" while reading it.

new @ rainbow lodge
neverfull — i'm never full blog
A luxurious photo essay and comprehensive write-up of a recent Houston restaurant visit.

Port for the Holidays
Jay Francis — Eating...Our Words blog at Houstonpress.com
Everything you always wanted to know about the fortified wine known as Port but were afraid to ask.

Merry Christmas! Love, She Eats
K — she eats. blog
No food writing here, but this blog post is EPIC.

If you know of any sources of great food writing, post a comment and let me know. It can be national, international, or local. I'd really like to find individualistic food blogs that reflect the personality and experiences of the blog writer.